Some people watched for the halftime show. Some watched to see if the Cincinnati Bengals could take home their first Lombardi Trophy, or if the LA Rams would win in their hometown (spoiler alert: they did).
Sure, we watched for all of those reasons but, for us, the stars of the day are the advertisers. With an average price tag of $6.5 million for a :30 spot, we tune in to see who did the most with those dollars and who was able to grab our attention during a day cluttered with ads and distractions.
So, we asked our team members to tell us which brands won the Super Bowl. After they had a few days to digest what they saw, along with all the the wings and nachos, here's what they had to say:
Carissa, Junior Digital Buyer:
My favorite super bowl commercial was the one with Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson with Amazon Alexa reading their minds. It's been a joke (and somewhat a truth) that Alexa has been listening to us for a long time and now she can read our mind. It perfectly combined comedy, collective experiences, and great product promotion.
Lexie, Junior Digital Buyer
This Jim Carrey Verizon 5g commercial was one of my favorites. Similar to the Uber Eats commercial, I thought it did an incredible job at capturing the attention of viewers, while seamlessly educating consumers about their product, leaving a lasting impression.
Not only was I entertained, but the commercial left me with way more knowledge about Verizon's 5g network than I expected going into it. The commercial focused on common problems (set up fees, cables, hassles), and seamlessly sold viewers on the solution (small size, hassle-free set up, no hidden fees).
Loved it!
Ryan, Chief Growth Officer:
Larry David & the FTX cryptocurrency exchange was my favorite ad this year. Whether you embrace change or fight it, Larry David is the perfect curmudgeon to poke fun at some of the greatest innovations of mankind. Is crypto the next great innovation? I'm not sure, but this commercial was pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Lauren, CEO:
1) I loved the CoinBase ad for a few reasons:
a. The stark simplicity of it made you stop and pay attention.
b. The QR code appeals to the tech savvy and they are the ones who will be most likely to invest in crypto anyhow.
c. CoinBase collected a BOATLOAD of data even from those who loaded the QR code even if they didn't convert - and data is super valuable for marketing.
d. The low production cost - many of these crypto places spent millions on ad production and paid high-budget actors - in reality this ad was probably more effective and cost nearly nothing.
2) My favorite ad from a "got me in the feels" standpoint was the Expedia ad with Ewan McGregor. I'm a travel lover and the message of experiences over things really resonated with me. The production value was pretty incredible too but it didn't even have to be that fancy for me to love it.
Maia, Account Director:
There were a few ads that I enjoyed and grabbed my attention. Some faves were mentioned previously like Larry David’s cryptocurrency spot and the Scarlett Johansson & Colin Jost Alexa reading minds commercial. I also enjoyed the storytelling in Toyota’s Brothers spot. But in the end, my favorite Super Bowl commercial was the Chevy “New Generation” Sopranos ad. I’m a sucker for nostalgia, so when I heard the first few bars of the song “Woke Up This Morning,” I stopped what I was doing. The shot for shot recreation (directed by “Sopranos” creator David Chase) of the iconic opening sequence of the Sopranos gave me all the feels.
Missed the Super Bowl or some of the ads? Check them out on the USA Today Ad Meter.
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